Contact:
Robby Cunningham (850) 245-7130

Tallahassee, FL – In response to Governor Charlie Crist’s request to obtain federal assistance for people affected by recent severe flooding in the Panhandle region, Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation continues to work closely with state emergency management officials and the United States Department of Labor to provide workforce and Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).

“Disaster Unemployment Assistance will provide financial support to citizens in 17 counties whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted by these storms,” said Cynthia R. Lorenzo, Interim Director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation.  “We remain committed to ensuring that the people affected by the recent flooding in the Florida Panhandle receive the aid necessary to recover.”

The federal government recently approved DUA for people in 14 North Florida counties who were affected by these storms.  Those counties include: Calhoun, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Walton and Washington. (Read the May 6, 2009 press release for more details.)  Effective immediately, the federal government has also approved DUA for people in Leon, Levy and Wakulla counties, bringing to 17 the total number of approved counties.

Many workers will be eligible for the state’s regular unemployment compensation program; those who are not may be eligible for DUA.  The DUA program also covers self-employed individuals, owners and workers of farms and ranches, as well as fishers and others who are not normally covered by state unemployment compensation.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR DUA

• Have exhausted entitlement to state unemployment compensation; and
• Have been working or residing in a county for which the disaster has been officially declared; and either: 
• Become unemployed as a direct result of a declared disaster; or
• Are unable to reach their place of employment as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Were scheduled to begin work and do not have a job or are unable to reach the job as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Have become the major support for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Cannot work because of an injury caused directly by the disaster.  

• File online: www.floridajobs.org or www.fluidnow.com  
• File by telephone at 800-204-2418, M-F 7:30 AM to 7 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 4 PM
• Obtain information about applying for DUA at any Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in the state.   (Follow this link for a list of Disaster Recovery Centers.)

• Social Security number (SSN) 
• Alien registration number and expiration date (if a non-U.S. citizen) 
• Name and address of most recent employer(s) 
• Name and address of employer and date work was to begin (for those scheduled to begin work but could not, due to the disaster)  
• If self-employed, you must have proof of self-employment, to include:
  
  1. State or federal tax returns
  2. Financial statements
  3. Bank records of accounts or 1099 Forms
  4. Documentation necessary to support a claim may be faxed to 850-921-3938 after filing (applicant’s SSN should appear on all documents)

• No later than June 15, 2009.
• NOTE: DUA benefits are available to unemployed individuals for up to 26 weeks from the date of the disaster declaration.  The 26-week assistance period for this weather event ends September 26, 2009.

• No later than June 5, 2009.
• NOTE: DUA benefits are available to unemployed individuals for up to 26 weeks from the date of the disaster declaration.  The 26-week assistance period for this weather event ends September 26, 2009.

• No later than June 1, 2009.
• NOTE: DUA benefits are available to unemployed individuals for up to 26 weeks from the date of the disaster declaration.  The 26-week assistance period for this weather event ends September 26, 2009.